kamiltl

Hi everyone !
Let me show You my TL, I have this car 2weeks so far , bought it cheap so I knew it will need work, but since i really like design of this TL ( in my opinion the best one ) I decide to give him second life. Thats our 4th car at home, the oldest the cheapest bla bla bla, I hope it will be fun dependable daily, I have no rush so planing to keep this one as project and put new life in this one.
Previous owner didnt care about cleaning washing at all, so car was looking like nobody wash it for few years ! I spend 5 full days usually woke up at 8 start at 9 and finished work at night to wash clean, polishing etc. It will be slow maybe not even build - lets call it recovery after previous owner. Positive thing is that car has only 121k miles which is nothing for that motors.

I had one audi a8 in the past... so lets say i got a lot of mechanical skills ...with this german crapp, so basically I am doing everything my self.

what i did since car is mine :

detailed car as much as possible in and out, polishing, waxing etc.
painted calipers and rotors front and back
windshield water pump didnt work, fix it ! just a fuse, new blades
fixed front bumper just for now...to hid crack ( color does not much ), replaced clips for new ones.
polished headlights
replaced cabin filter for K&N
replaced air filter for K&N
replaced oil for mobil1 5w20 extended performance + fram filter ( returned K&n oil filter since this one has bad revious due to common leaks )
replaced ATF ( 3gallons of RedLine d4 )
flushed and replaced power steering fluid for Genuine HONDA
replaced spark plugs for NGK
replaced PCV valve
black licence plate frames
brand new genuine acura TL trunk mat
washing floor mats and stains on floor
cleaning leathers with Lexol cleaner + meguiars gold class rich leather balm, plastics with meguiars interior detailer
Atolla usb cigarette lighter in center compartment , installed Roadhawk hd dashcam with gps
Genuine HONDA wheel lock set ( not instaled yet )
polished curb rash , painted wheels with Plastidip 6layers of black matte and 2 layers of silver metalizer
replaced old weatherstrip on passanger side
cleaned engine buy plastics, valve covers
flushed coolant system and replace old fluid with new prestone coolant

and many many other small things that i dont remember.

plans for future :
new front and rear bumper
new rotors and pads and brake fluid
replacing 2 broken studs in front wheels
15mm spacers
steering wheel dye
cover plastics in engine bay with rustoleum wipe new
need a new mirror glass on both sides - they are brown on the edges.
replacing left headlight ( driver ) if somebody has one for sale - let me know please !
I am waiting for dent repair kit to repair few of them on doors
tinting rear windows little bit
ordered second key with remote
waiting for some interior plastics like driver seat rail bolts covers
ordered new radio , going to replace old one since there is some kind of problem with buttons ilumination.
waiting for rear right door handle plastic cover in proper color


after all this , especialy fluids, spark plugs, filters - car drives like a dream, transmission got new life in my opinion. Thanks to acurazine - I could check how to do most of the things and be sure not to screw anything


here are pictures since first day until today. over 70. Will be more in future ..

thanks

kamiltl

next photos

kamiltl

more..

kamiltl

and more

DesertMistTL

iTrader: (2)

great work bringing her back to life! how many miles does she have?

kamiltl

thanks DesertMistTL , she has only 121k miles. But looks like previous owner didnt care about keeping car looks nice and clean plus he was forklift operator which means a lot dirt inside....in that day when I went to see her , once I opened hood I left my fingerprints on hood .....

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

Welcome to Acurazine! And WOW! Incredible work! To see someone as dedicated as you is super rare today. It's the unfortunate faith of the 3rd gen TL's... A lot of them are in the same condition. I do wish you the very best! As someone who suffers from OCD, those photos were not easy for me to look at, lol. I'm from North NJ BTW.

EDIT:

I've been to that car wash a few times before when I visit my in laws that live in Oakland.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

awesome! not many people repair their own bumpers!!

LoveMyTL-S

Great job! She is looking awesome.........

capper

Nice job! Where did you get that clip kit with all the different sizes?

kamiltl

thank You, I will try to put her back to nice and shine condition.. I have no OCD but it hurts me when I see ugly dirty cars in poor condition on the street especialy when its mine !
That car wash is my favorite one, since its cold I am going there, in the summer i do it my self. Wash+vacuum + glass cleaning is 12 or 13$ with tip for these hard workers arround 20$ total....... no questions , cheap cheap cheap !

kamiltl

Thanks, Since my father is industrial mechanic - I grew up with all this "handy man stuff" , He teached me a lot and now thanks to him I can do almost everything at home, car etc alone.. expect timing belt and general motor rebuilt
Bumper is just for now... new one painted is about 300$ so I decide to spend those money for atf fluids, motor oils filters etc, which is more important right now, bought welder which was 25$ plus some supplies like paint sand papers etc. so I repaired it almost for free i know it is not perfect but still better than 30inch crack, Next month I will replace the bumper for new one with matching color

kamiltl

thanks Capper, I bought them on amazon


there are 190pcs and pry tool which is helpful in many cases. Quality is very good , as far as I used them they are good for front bumper where You connect fender liner, good for transmission plastic cover, mud guards, glove compartment.

kamiltl

just got new car charger which is good to charge dash cam and phone at the same time or second phone and bt headset. I have drilled small whole on the right side and wire all cables under passenger seat than under door seal , no visible cables and its neat and clean outside, still have to hide cables inside of compartment ( maybe under pass seat ? ) but didnt have so much time

Also received driver seat rail bolt covers, small thing but make me happy, still waiting for oem missing bolt from honda dealer..
dent repair kit came, I will try to work on small dents tonight, we will see if this very very very advanced china tool was worth 20bucks

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Well done, but don't stop here!

kamiltl

New oem honda lock nuts on wheels
and I tried to use dent kit but without any results, probably it is to cold in my garage and glue doesnt hold so good, I will have to heat the room before I start and try again.
cleaned engine bay and treated plastics with rustoleum wipe new lotion .

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

loving the progress!

I don't know why, but it makes me happy when I see someone who owns 3 cars that cost over 40k and a beautiful house end up buying a 5k car... it says something bold about the 3G TL.

good luck with the rest of the progress!

MyGuti

great job OP, cant believe how bad the condition was and what you were able to bring it back to! albeit still some work left.....at least you got some type-s wheels with it!

kamiltl

thanks guitarplayer16. these are lease cars so they arent ours range sport 2017 supercharged v8 and 2016 s550 with amg package both close to 500hp,
range - after two weeks We took it back to stealership - soft door close fail
then after few months again - some electric issue about charging battery, so as somebody said - range is good when its good this devil is brutal, as far all new cars got eco mode or normal - for this one normal means race...drive is raw and You feel like in fast sport car.. life is short so why not try range too, even if its crap and after 3years price on this one will drop from 100k to 40k

s550 - cant say anything, since Nov 2016 did only 3k miles on sundays trips..love seat massage and softness of that leather, no matter if You goinf 30 or 120 it is soooo quiet inside....these car is out of leauge but i am sure once she hit 50-60k miles problems wil start, If i find pictures from installing rear window dash cam I show You how wires behind rear seats look like, You could tow the truck with it.

2017 lexus nx200t fsport. Only one word. it is shame lexus build car like this one. After we had in family rx,es,gs this is worst lexus, it was mistake to buy 4cyl lexus, We were looking for easy to park car in the city, after few weeks of using, discovered that view from nx is shitty...and impossible to make more than 20mpg ....

guess which car is most fun to drive. Acura, maybe because of satisfaction from these transformation and how well build was this car back to 2005. non of above will survive 150-200k miles even this downsized 4cyl turbo lexus engine... Acuras always will, maybe even more.

kamiltl

thanks, it is till much more to do funny is i didint even know these are s type wheels back in the day I bought car, but week ago when i start painting with plastidip and searched for advice on google and acurazine I discovered these are 1000$ type s wheels same night ordered wheel locks

BreezyTL

iTrader: (8)

Way to clean her up right! Looks like a lot of time invested in it already. Can't wait to see what you do next!

A clean set will fetch $600-$700, used beat up are $350 all day. Either way they look better than the stock 5 spoke!

I parted out a 2005 last year and have some parts left over. Did you already get the radio? I have one if you didn't. Let me know, maybe I can help you out with some cheaper parts.

kamiltl

thanks, sure that wheels looks nice , better than stock ones.
At this moment I am looking for left headlight ( driver side ) bumpers and maybe hood since mine has sam blemiches .
I ordered radio on ebay on sunday.. cost my 80bucks with shipping

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

Looks good!

kamiltl

just got new case for remote. bought from here :
color is different and there is no acura logo but cant expect too much for 8$.. better than old one. So if someone thinking to buy new case for remote - this one fits well and it takes 5minutes to replace it.

truonghthe

welcome and congrats, your garage is gorgeous along with all the cars you owned. Just out of curios, what make you bought a 3G TL? after all its not very sporty compare with the German counterpart. I tried that PDR kit back in 2008 and basically gave up on the kit, now I just gona leave to the expert. BTW nice work, keep us update.

kamiltl

Since a year I am electrician assistant interested in working toward electrician license which take me 4 more years , due to that this acura is perfect car and i dont have to worry about putting tools in trunk etc.
We had many of german cars, but I am japan lover. Ive had audi a8 and when I was done with one issues then another one come up,like money pot.
We had mercedes gle400 - random problems with cooling system, my brother has rs4 2.7bt and there are problems too.

oh wait there is one good audi we have in family for over 12years. audi s6 plus avant but this one is 1996 800pcs limited edition and in those days audi built tanks, not cars... today I dont see good german cars.

from other side : I started with scion tc , then we had in family 3x lexus es, gs, rx, nx, acura tl 2003, 2014, infi fx37 and guess - no problems at all.

kamiltl

With pdr I will wait for sunny days, i think glue is poor quality, but i have already glue from dewalt - i will test with this one.
I just got second remote, this is non genuine remote but works perfect. This post maybe will be useful for future searchers. Programing takes few seconds.
bought here : So if somebody stand in front of decission - paying few hundred to stealership or save - then be sure this one works with our TL.

kamiltl

Just got new radio today, replaced and still the same problem... no iluminnation, only radio and ac screen got light , all the buttons are dark ( but works )
any idea ? I have checked all the fuses under hood and next to brake pedal, resurfaced fuses legs and still the same problem

no light on radio buttons, ac buttons, mirror buttons, vsa button, computer trip buttons, all of them are off ...

glovebox and armrest compartment loghts works
door lights works
cabin lights in front and back works
windows switches lights works...

any idea ??

and what is this socket next to lighter 12v for ?

good news : i have changed serpentine belt ( thanks acurazine for DIY )

kamiltl

any idea what is this for ?

brotatertot

This is awesome, I'm currently doing something similar, awesome work!

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

Car Radio Constant 12v+ Wire: White
Car Radio Switched 12v+ Wire: Yellow/Red
Car Radio Ground Wire: Black
Car Radio Illumination Wire: Red/Black
Car Stereo Dimmer Wire: Red/Blue
Car Stereo Antenna Trigger: Yellow/Green
Car Stereo Amp Trigger Wire: Red/Yellow
--------------------------------------------------------------

OR:

Radio Outputs:

12 Volt DC: -------- White
Switched Accessory: ------------ Red/ Yellow
Ground: ------------------- Black
Power Ant: -------------- Yellow/ Green
Remote turn on: ---------------- Red/ Yellow
Illumination: -------------- Red/ Black also red
Mute: ------------------ Yellow/ Green (for amp mute), Blue/Red (for hands free link mute)
Steering remote wire: ----------------- Green/ Red
Left Front ------------ Green+ / blue-
right Front -------------- Black+ / Grey-
Left Rear -------------- White+ / Yellow-
Right rear------------- Orange+ / Red-
Center CH------------- Brown+ / green/white-
Sub ---------------- Red/ Blue+ / White/Green-



AMP OUTPUTS:

12 Volt DC: ----------------- White
Remote Turn on(input) ---------------- Red/ Yellow
Left Front ---------- Lt. Green+ / Purple-
Right Front ------------ Blue+ / red-
Left Rear ------------- Brown/White+ / Red/Yellow-
Right Rear ------------- Red/Blue+ / Yellow-
Center ---------------- green/White+ / Blue/Yellow-
Subwoofer ------------- Yellow/Black+ / Lt. Green/Red-

@ Speaker:

Left Front Tweeter -------- Lt.Green+ / Purple-
Right Front Tweeter ----------- Blue+ / red-
----------------------------------------------------
INSIDE FUSE PANEL

Position #5 20AMP fuse for Radio
Position #6 7.5AMP fuse for interior lights


UNDER HOOD FUSE PANEL


Position #4 10AMP fuse for small light (also controls some interior lights)


As for the cig. lighter harness, If i recall right, one of those connectors gives power to the center arm rest console light. Check that light to see if it works.

kamiltl

thank You, it help me a lot, I will checked at monday, anyway if there will be not power on on illumination cables thats mean there is some kind of short since fuses are all good. and this is probably what it is. I will probably run new circuit straight from fuse box with add on or from armrest light ( will see which will be easier )

worked today little bit on acura and range. Package came from Acura naples Florida with seat bolt which was missing, touch up paint marker ( great !!! ) and rear door handle cover in deep green as should be. Also genuine cargo mat is on its place.
Then I installed hitch on range ( first time in my life ) stelaer asked 1000$, hitch cost = 180$ , took 2hours ( didnt rush )

BreezyTL

iTrader: (8)

On the Range, was there an option to have the hitch thru the bumper? Those hitches below the bumper always gave me ground clearance issues. Be careful!

kamiltl

It took me 2hrs, but i did everything slowly to not screw anything since it was my first hitch install there are 2 covers, 1 on the bumper ( bumper diffuser ) and there is second cover behind difusser - differential cover which has to be off too and in this one You have to cut the hole, but curts provide nice manual with all information where and how to cut. Izi pizi job

Finally I solve the problem with ac and shifter lights, still missing mirror vsa and emergency light but i had only 10 t5 wires sockets 8for ac 1for shifter

I used t5 led lights - they are small and fit in ac/ vents buttons holes , for shifter it was originaly t5 so I just brought new feed wire, feed is from armrest light, I prepared wiring for mirror and vsa trunk light already so all I need is more t5 sockets. I know this is not job to be proud of but that was easiest way to be done with missing power on radio lights, after checking fuses buying second readio etc etc,

DesertMistTL

iTrader: (2)

good work! while you're at it. unplug or remove your hands free link (HFL) for bluetooth. It's known for draining our batteries and is useless

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-a.../#post15591038

kamiltl

where is hfl located ? isnt next to rear view mirror ? I will take out radio one more time anyway, i found even smaller led - they call them led 5mm diodes

wholes for oem wedge bulbs in ac/vents unit are arround 10mm so they will fit nice and deeper than current t5. I will not change them all of course, just two on the top ( for temperature lower higher on driver and pass side ) where its pretty tight in the back due to bracket which hold radio ( 2 top screws )
plus I will fight with mirror vsa and i will run new circuit for leds on legs for driver and pass.

tomorrow and thursday I should get weathertech liners and oem acura mirror glass for pass side





thinking at EBC drilled rotors and ebc pads/ never used them but heard good opinions...

https://www.autozone.com/brakes-and-..._384208_0_2805

any recomendations ? maybe different brand ?

truonghthe

Keep up the good work, no wonder why you went to school for electrician.

BreezyTL

iTrader: (8)

HFL is located in this. Pry the black section out and it should be mounted to the back of it.

kamiltl

Gracias Senior ! I will do it once i get more leds to finish project

Joecop67